Bordeaux and the halfsmoked cigarette
by MeLaNch0LYdreams
Summary: Shizuo pulled away, swiping his tongue over his too-wet lips.    "Are you going to shut up now?"
1. Anger

**Bordeaux and the half-smoked cigarette**

**1. Anger  
**

Everything about Orihara Izaya rubbed Heiwajima Shizuo the wrong way.

The raven haired man had the debonair of a fox. From his burgundy eyes to his sly grin. Just seeing those features had his fists clenching in anger and anticipation. He was the perfect excuse for a punching bag, and its not like he gave the blond a reason to like him. By organizing his battles, framing him for crimes he didn't commit, and the lowly feminine nickname he tailed at the end of his sentences, he was just DARING him to uproot a stop sign from the crosswalk.

So it was no suprise when he found himself doing just that.

_A/N:_ HELLO! So these are Shizaya drabbles I've been doing on and off on my iPod notes (explains the shortness I know) MORE TO COME!

_2. Cherry Vodka_


	2. Cherry Vodka

**Bordeaux and the half-smoked cigarette**

**2. Cherry Vodka**

Orihara Izaya smoked in the dark, tobacco in one hand, an amber tinted glass bottle in the other. He alternated between the two, swigging the searing fluid and burning his lungs with Shizuo's half-smoked cigarette. The concrete was cold in comparison to the warmth in his lap. The napping man snored without a care in the world, despite the drying blood on his skull that had been bashed thanks to him. Maybe he'd tease the bartender when he woke up, saying he had a cute face when he fell asleep, not poking fun at the Heiwajima's addiction, his self-loath, why he turned to drinking in the first place.

He choked pain induced tears at the sting of alchohol. He didn't drink anyways.

A/N: I don't know! I've always had this image of Izaya smoking and drinking in the dark after I read the Doujinishi where Izaya finds Shizuo drunk xD Its on youtube peoples! And then after I read Love Blind Eyes and Chemical Apathy, the image solidified, not trying to steal anyone's idea here! SO right now you're my Inspiration! rinji...er Orihara Izaya? xD Oh wells!

NEXT!

_3. Bartender_


	3. Bartender

**Bordeaux and the half-smoked cigarette**

**3. Bartender**

"Drink?" the sly-eyed informant smiled secretly with a twinkle in his eye, as if inwardly laughing at an inside joke. "I don't drink." he refused the almost glowing beverage, rainbows passing through the ice. "And I wouldn't put is past you to have poisoned it." the blond rolled his eyes at the implication. "Nah, that's more your thing than mine. Its Bordeaux, expensive shit." the blond reached for it, as if explaining the age old wine would make him want it anymore. His deadpan rivaled Kasuka's as he stared blankly at the bartender with an odd look. "You're trying to explain wine to someone who's the opposite of a liquor enthusiast?"

"You know its wine, you know that much."

"Its obvious Shizu-chan."

The blond frowned, grasping air as the glass seemed to materialize in Izaya's hands. "Let me admire it more, I still don't get how you bartenders make liquid shit look all pretty." Shizuo's eye twitched as he sighed, calmly fixing himself another one of the two, Izaya perked up as he saw the dark amber cocktail. "May I ask?"

"Jack Daniels. Second of all, liquor comes with an acquired taste, and it won't look any better when the ice melts."

"Ah, Shizu-chan, I'm taking it that you drink a lot."

"Not enough." his sarcastic grumble was met with a pleased chuckle.

There was a bout of silence as the humour faded from the somewhat light atmosphere. Izaya stared in wonder at the class, breathing through his mouth so he wouldn't inhale the fumes of the french liquor, which annihilated the purpose when the pleasant burning gathered at the back of his throat. It was an exhilaration. He noticed Shizuo speculating him with a hard look. He sighed, tearing his eyes away from the cocktail glass. "What is it?" The bartender observed him dumbly, making a passing comment.

"Your eyes are the same color as it." Shizuo stated matter-of-factly, as if it was the most obvious thing like how stars were out in the sky, or that Kasuka was an alien.

Izaya laughed off the sort of compliment, staring down at his swinging feet, feeling an odd rush of heat at the Bordeaux induced flush on his face. "Now I thought we agreed we weren't going to compliment me. Albino rat eyes remember?" the bartender shrugged off-handily.

"Just stating an observation."

"Oh! So you know big words now?"

"Shut up flea."

A/N: So I was going to leave it at 'Not Enough' but I wanted a LEETLE beet of romance :3 Did it work? Did it work? REVIEW REVIEW MY PRECIOUS!


	4. Cherry Vodka part two

**Bordeaux and the half-smoked cigarette**

**4. Cherry Vodka (Cont.)**

"If you could choose any drink though, what would it be?"

The informant pretended to be thoughtful.

"Cherry Vodka."

"So I wasn't too of the mark!"

A/N: YES I HAD TO REPOST THIS! i tried to replace chapter one but it wouldn't let me :(

_Coming up..._

_5. Ikebukuro_


	5. Ikebukuro

**Bordeaux and the half-smoked cigarette**

**5. Ikebukuro**

"I love Ikebukuro." Shizuo turned to the informant, spread eagle over the rug as he toyed with his cellphone. The Orihara had decided to camp out in the Heiwajima's apartment, after all, how could you last a hot summer day with a fur trimmed coat?

'Why? So you can stomp on girl's cellphones?" the bartender snorted as he puffed a ring of smoke. The red eyed male gave him a sharp look before recovering with a smirk. "Open the window and smoke there, don't worry, its no longer a hobby of mine." Shizuo snorted again, this time stifling laughter. He followed Izaya's instructions, gently nudging the window open, the crank making a small sound, sounding out its uselessness. "Sure...other than that, have you ever seen the country?" Izaya rolled his eyes sarcastically. "If I'm not wrong, the country smells like cow shit, no ready prepared food? I don't do the whole fend-for-yourself thing. My work doesn't permit me to do anyways."

"My family used to go down to the countryside. Nothing but open fields, and nothing to break."

"My point. It sounds boring." Shizuo's eyes gave a little glint.

"Ever try a corn maze?"

"Get out!"

"I just tore the roots right out of the cornstalks after a while."

"I bet you did!" Izaya choked on his cola, sputtering with mirth.

"I tried you know." Shizuo whispered seriously to himself.

"I was lost and scared."

"Like a rabbit!"

"Excuse me?" his eye twitched at the interruption, irritated that his heart to heart was delayed.

"Must have looked like one I mean. Ah! What an innocent brown it must have been! What animal do I look like?" he gestured to his face with a big grin. After a moments speculation, he noticed a change in the bartenders face, although his expression stayed the same. A smirk overcame his features, slowly in realization.

"Are you-"

"A Rat. Those creepy albino ones. Your lucky to have the Orihara hair color."

"Aww, not going to compliment me?"

"Don't deserve one."

"At least I don't blush when I'm giving them."

_A/N_: Haha, I was writing this the other day, prompted by the fact that I pretty much live in the middle of NO WHERE! I kind of didn't know how to end it (hence Izaya's bunny comment lol.) More to come when I can think of any!


	6. Host

**Bordeaux and the half-smoked cigarette**

**6. Host (part I)**

Yagiri Namie owned one of Shinjuku's best host clubs. The reason fot this sucess was the ruby-eyed man chatting up girls not even three tables away**. **But the other reason for her recent popularity would have to take her a few weeks back...

Two heavily bundled up figures stumbled into her office upon being called on. She rose an inquisitive brow, the figures were swarmed with layers of woolen black fabric, "Did Halloween come early this year?" their faces were indistinguishable and she glared. "I'm glad you responded to my advertisement and came all the way from Ikebukuro, but I need a good look at your faces before I even choose to look at your resume. Previous qualifications don't matter at this point." the smaller of the two nodded his head from side to side. "Not me. Him." the man gestured with clipped sentences to the taller of the two, clearing six feet with a mop of bleached blond hair under the woolen hat. The blond glanced up from cobalt lenses, all hunched in himself. "Take off the glasses." the blond did as instructed, fidgeting as he kept his eyes glued to the floor. "Look up." his eye twitched but he looked up none the less. Common, but nice brown eyes were revealed to her. The depths were almost hypnotic, the man exuded an air of mystery but...

He wasn't her type.

"Take off the jacket." he stripped the long woolen garment, revealing a bartender suit underneath. She cocked another brow at his choice of dress but she wasn't going to complain**. **He seemed well built and the clothes fit him fine, and another matter came up.

"I also hope you know that in this position, you will not be mixing drinks. Any questions?" she said carefully, she knew most people came dressed for a position they wanted, but it seemed a little outlandish. The blond seemed to get nervous as he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I don't have to sleep with them, do I?" she turned around to him with an incredulous look of disbelief to the shorter of the two, face palming. "Not unless your gay, or the client doesn't want you too." she struggled to keep level headed. Did this Neanderthal even know what he was getting himself into? "I just need the money." he said quietly to himself, and a spark of pity flares in her gut.

Yagirirs do** not **pity.

"You start work tomorrow. Want a tour of the place?" he seemed speechless, his jaw hanging open as he nodded vigorously, looking like an over-sized puppy. She saw a small upturn of the lips and darted away. "Whats his name again?" she asked quietly, letting the tall blond wander around like a kid in a candy store. "Heiwajima Shizuo." he inquired with a bigger smile. The name rung a bell, but she ignored it, suddenly catching the Heiwajima staring at the bar's biggest attraction; Orihara Izaya. Before she could wonder what the strangely dressed man was doing, a blood curdling roar ripped through the man's chest as he uprooted a table from the tiled flooring. "IIIIIZZAAAYYYYAA-KKUUNNN!" her and the younger man face palmed at the same time. She had forgotten one of the most vital interview questions that went without saying- history of criminal record.

She should have identified him as the rabid man that had been on the news when she saw him.

A/N: lol yesterday was my birthday adn I was WAY too busy to update, so this a present to myself. This will be the first of my Au mini series in this mini series: Host. This will be from Namie's POV and it DOES relate back to the other drabbles. It goes without saying...

_7. Host (part II)_


	7. Host part two

**Bordeaux and the half-smoked cigarette**

**7. Host (part II)**

A tipsy man stumbled behind Namie. cupping her breast. She continued to sign the service repair sheet, stabbing the man behind her over her shoulder, eyes still trained on the paperwork. "Thats sexual assault and I'll kick your sorry ass out of the building if you don't do it yourself." the man wailed, stumbling out the door in horror. She turned to the fuming blond.

"You. In my office. NOW." she jerked her thumb behind her, eyes narrowed into slits, emanating her cold fury. Shizuo hunched in himself, head hanging low. 'I've done it again.' he thought miserably. 'but more importantly...' he inwardly seethed. 'THAT STUPID flea!'

"I hope you know all of the repairs are coming out of your paycheck, and that your brother paid a large sum of money to keep you here." she informed, all the while turning her glare to the other seated figure, contradicting her words. "Izaya, what are you doing?" the ruby eyed male gave her an innocent look.

"Why Namie-didn't you point to ME?" he gasped, Shizuo still trembling in anger.

"This doesn't concern you-but what concerns me is why you would go into a fit like that-so if I piss you off enough, you'll destroy my bar and give me that?" she pointed towards Izaya, sporting a black eye with a grin on his face. Shizuo nodded furiously.

"N-no! Its this goddamn FLEA! Every time I get a job-he sets me up and ruins my career!" he crushed the Styrofoam cup in his head. Coffee splashing the back if the wood.

"Heiwajima-San, I think you may have a mental disorder or you suck at making excuses, I refuse to believe that one person would follow you all the way from Shinjuku to Ikebukuro just to fuck around." Shizuo looked flabbergasted, trying to come up with a better response. Izaya smiled triumphantly, looking ridiculous with the black eye as he tried to stifle giddy laughter.

"So for that reason, i'm putting you both on shift at the same time." Izayas smirk was replaced with the most comical eye boggling expression, it was highly amusing.

"Namie, I think you forgot that I don't work for you."

"Anyone who legally steps into this office is one of my potential employees. Since you don't usually abide by my rules, this is your only escape. Or would you like to go to court after blatantly going through my personal affairs, sabotaging a gang war outside this facility, AND PAY for the damage done today?" she hadn't paid attention to the Heiwajima since her speech but looked at him, looking just as shocked as Izaya.

"Like I said earlier, you start tomorrow. "  
"You won't regret it!" Shizuo yelled as an afterthought as she paused her hand on the doorknob. She turned to both, Shizuo looking determined, and Izaya with the sourest look on her face. She clocked the image in her mind to commemorate the day she finally put the righteous asshole in his place.

A/N: Happy Holidays and have a great new year!

_8. Host (part III)_


	8. Host part three

**Bordeaux and the half-smoked cigarette**

**8. Host (part III)**

Business was booming. Heiwajima must have been either a genius, or one fortunate sunnuvabitch. His calm anxiety, stunning good looks, and his refusal to sleep with the clients had them coming back for more. 'regulars' they were called? Izaya's presence, doubling the number of customers there were before. Every so often, the blond would snap and cause damage to a table or a part of Izaya's body. Nothing that skimming the top off Shizuo's paycheck couldn't fix. But there was one thing that bothered her. They were oddly..._quiet._

Not interfering in the others business, brushing by each other without a word. Had she been any other person, she would assume they had gotten over their differences, but she was a Yagiri. And nothing went by a Yagiri without being noticed. With careful observation, she noted that every time they brushed by each other behind the red curtain when exchanging shifts, their hands would accidentally brush as they side stepped each other. An unreadable look would spark in their eyes, and they would go about their business. Namie had worked in a club long enough to know the signs.

It was the start of 'a budding attraction'

_9. Holidays_

A/N: A new year with new drabbles!_  
_


	9. Holidays

**Bordeaux and the half-smoked cigarette**

**9. Holidays  
**

"Masaomi! Look at that!" An eager Dollar's leader tugged at his friend's sleeve, marveling at the fireworks, filling the bleak starless sky with millions of colorful sparks. The yellow scarves leader put his unsuspecting friend into a headlock, laughing easily with an indulgent smile, the boy hastily clawing at his arms for escape.

"I see it, I see it! You've been jerking me back and forth every time a new one comes up! If you keep it up I'll have holes you know." Kida Masaomi started to give the poor boy a decent nookie, finally releasing him, the dollars leader starting a chase, determined to make his friend as frazzled as he was.

Orihara Izaya examined the two leaders from the rooftop, sourly remembering why he was even stopping to observe the boring 'gag-its-too-sweet' moments. If Shizu-chan just made an appearance he could have some fun!

It was new Years Eve after all.

He had missed the fortissimo of Ikebukuro, said fortissimo spending time with the great Kasuka Heiwajima, it was rumoured that they went to the Carribean. Shinra and Celty were also spending a gag-worthy love dovey Christmas together, as were the two Raira students below. Namie hadn't bothered to shop up to work at all, claiming that even witches like her were allowed to spend Christmas with their loved ones. The loved _ones _threw him for a loop, whats the plural for? Mairu and Kururi were spending with their friends in Kyoto, so much for family. There was only one person who probably wasn't having a satisfactory Christmas, but he wasn't about to visit Saika anytime soon, the spirit had already been used. He was done with Sonohara Anri.

Swinging his legs, dangling from the edge of the building, he thought about the irony behind this. Sitting on Shizuo's apartment building, having nothing to do, and having no one to spend it with. He pondered his options for a moment, deciding he could just play a prank if the debt collector wasn't home.

**Unit 406**

"Will you stop trying to strip me?" Kasuka couldn't believe his ears as he stilled his spare key in the lock, frozen in place.

"Shizu-chan, I'm flattered, but could you lay off my- _ohh_..." Kasuka begin to back away, gently setting down the bottle of champagne by the door and withdrawing his keys from the keyhole.

Hey, he was all for his brother getting laid.

**Inside of Unit 406**

Ok, so maybe it wasn't a good idea to step into an inebriated drunk's apartment to screw with him, but it seems the situation was flipped, minus the inebriation.

"Your back's in knots," the cheap beer the brute had downed had warmed his whole being.

"It sounded like you just blew me." the scarlet eyed informant complained, an infintissimel twitching of his eye added for effect.

A/N: I didn\t know how to end it...and I wrote something better, but I had to put it after lol.

_10. Asphixiation_


	10. Asphyxiation

**Bordeaux and the half-smoked cigarette**

**10. Asphyxiation**

Have you ever stopped breathing for just a moment - voluntarily? That light headiness is just so pleasant, so fulfilling. You don't need to think, and your in that phase where you forget to struggle.

However, then your brain is screaming at you to 'get-some-oxygen-before-you-die-you-fucking-moron.' it hurts, you thrash, and you gasp. And just like that, you're recovered from the kiss of death, (or is life?) and it leaves you breathless. How many people know that drowning only occurs when you fight the water? If you don't struggle, you float to the surface.

Guess that's not what your instincts are screaming at you when you can't form a coherent thought.

But I'm not drowning now, am I?

I sure feel like it though.

Shizuo pulled away, swiping his tongue over his too-wet lips.

"Are you going to shut up now?"

A/N: pfft, add two and two togethed xD they KISSED!

_11. Birthday (maybe)_


	11. Witch Hunt

A/N: this WILL become a multi-chapter fic, but I want to see how u viewers take it so far. Now the implied pairing IS tom/shizuo, but it leads into Shizaya soon enough. Whos the witch Kasuka is taken by? You request it, I'll write it :)

**Witch Hunt**

Tom polished the bow slowly, not meeting the blond's eyes.  
"What happened to Kasuka?" the blond fought to keep calm, his hands quivering with pent up rage.  
Tom continued polishing the bow with the same practiced slowness since he had caught sight of Shizuo.  
"What happened with Shinra."

Kishitani Shinra, the underground doctor, was seduced by the dullahan Celty Struluson. The man had fallen under the headless fairy's spell, and was held captive in Shinjuku; the supernaturals territory.

"He was under your watch Tom." Shizuo didn't bother suppressing his rage now, a table full of items were knocked over and spilled onto the ground, that table recieved the same treatment, splitting upon contact with the linoleum floor.

"There was nothing I could do." the hunter wiped his forehead with his forearm, finally meeting the debt collector's eyes.

"BULLSHIT!" Shizuo flipped over the coffee table in the living room, tore the couch cushions so hard that spongy material coated his hair and clothes, and punched the hallway mirror, keeping the fist there even when it began to bleed. "Nothing I could do." Tom repeated calmly, prying the debt collector's fist from the glass. They both stood in the broken hallway with nothing to say, Tom still holding his hand. Tom threaded their fingers together despite the blood.  
"We'll find him." Tom brought their twined hands to his lips. "I promise." he looked up into the debt collector's hollow eyes, Tom's violet spheres truly apologetic. "Tom..."

The hunter's tanned skin contrasted with the white sheets, slick with sweat and body fluids. It had to be the fourth round, but with the way his dreadlocks snapped back and forth, he guessed Tom wasn't complaining. The hunter wouldn't admit it, but the tan skinned man was a slut for penetration.  
His hips snapped back and forth, splitting the moaning hunter in half with each thrust.  
"Apologize-for-_mmmmm_-not-watching-Kasuka..." he slowed to a dramatic pace, reminding himself that it was also the fourth time that night where he forced the desperate apologies from the hunter.  
"**I-I I APOLOGIZE**!" in no time flat the debt collector quickened his pace, sending the hunter to oblivion once more. The slightly loose ring of msucles tightened against him for the fourth time that night, emptying himself into the other. He rode out their joined orgasm, rocking at a snails pace until the euphoric high all but disappeared. He pulled out of Tom, not stirring with renewed interest as a torrent of cum spilled onto the sheets.

He watched the recovering hunter with amused eyes, watching the heaving body in mild interest. He waited until just the right moment to pounce, lapping at Tom's stretched entrance vigorously. He turned the whimpering onto his back and stopped what he was doing.

Dried tear racks were renewed with fresh tears, Tom rubbed his swollen red eyes furiously. "Shizuo?" Shizuo let go of the flushed thighs and scrambled for his clothes. "Where are you going?" he paused at the zipper of his slacks and grabbed Tom's cheeks between his two hands and pulled. Hard.

"You don't _get_ to cry." he growled, the sound almost feral.  
"_I_ should be the one crying." his voice deepened with such hate, Tom quivered for different reasons, violet eyes turning glassy. "Im sorry."

Shizuo tugged on his shirt, not trusting his voice. He flipped the bird on his way out. "Fuck you."


	12. Calm

**Bordeaux and the half-smoked cigarette**

**12. Calm  
**

"Shi-zu-chan!" the debt collector looked up from the half smoked cigarette to the bubbly informant, ruby orbs bright with excitement. He glued himself to the blond arm, mindful that he could be punched in the face at anytime. "You seem to be ignoring me today! Tsk tsk, that will simply not do."

To Izaya's immense surprise, there was no reaction whatsoever from the brute. "Shizu-chan?" the debt collector put out the smoke and studied him for a moment.

"Izaya, how old are we?"

The use of his name set the informant on edge already. "Tch. 28,or did your protozoan brain forget already?"

The blond had continued on as if he hadn't heard him. "We've known each other for 14 years than, and I still wonder why you waste your time, energy, and money on annoying me. Shouldn't use that concentration on getting a girlfriend or something?"

Izaya refrained from informing him that he didn't need to waste money on getting a reaction out of Shizuo- that was priceless.

Instead, he merely scoffed. "And? I love all of humanity too much to stick to one person.

The response shockingly brought a quirk to the blonde's lips.

"Except for me."

The smile had still stunned the informant into silence as he watched Shizuo take off his trademark sunglasses. He sighed quietly as if he was telling some parent about their incorrigible child. "I always knew monogamy wasn't your thing."

He recovered with a sneer. "Oh? Your learning big words now."

The blond was still irritatingly calm as he looked up to the sky, eyes unreadable under the cobalt lenses. "Well things change. People change." he turned to Izaya with a small sad smiles, the blonde's range of expressions still sent the man reeling every time he saw one. "I thought you being the smarter one would change the most. You should settle down, build a family, put this behind you."

Of all the intelligent remarks he could have made, he merely crossed his arms. "In your dreams."

Shizuo looked pensive for a fraction of a minute before he nodded. "I thought so." he turned away, heading towards his home in the red light district, waving as he did so. " 'Night."

The informant dropped his arms, still puzzled by the irregularity of the meeting.


	13. Change

**Bordeaux and the half-smoked cigarette**

**13. Change (Calm Part II)**

When Izaya got home, the first thing he did was examine himself in the hallway mirror.

He didn't look a day over 23, which in hindsight meant he would live out a lot longer than he had expected. There were subtle differences, laugh lines, his hair was thinning, and the muscle mass he had depleted from too many days just sitting in his office and daily ootoro fests.

He reflected on the lives of those around him, and how they had changed.

Namie had stopped working for him a few weeks ago, content that Seiji was mastering the business side of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals well, and living off the royalties. She had gotten rid of Harima Mika years ago, and intended to take her place in Seiji's love life. Which strangely, oddly, and wrong enough, had worked. The incestuous union was under wraps in the media for now, but it was only a matter of time he thought to himself. Or until he decided he wanted his assistant back.

Shinra was still a doctor, and planning to be a father to a child that would not be bared by his headless wife. Said headless wife still did deliveries, and the need to find her head had dulled, according to the bubbly doctor. But the will to her head was shared between the both of them in their final testaments for Celty to take when they died.

Mikado did tech support for Japan's biggest social network (besides the Dollars.) And the blond was making a living out of dealing information in the east, supporting his soon to be wife. Anri worked at a library, a suitable choice for her.

And last but not least, Shizu-chan.

In record time the blond had risen above almost all his co-workers at the debt collecting bureau when Tom had quit, along with the rumored calmness he had seemed to gain over the past year. Ergo a pay raise and a sudden reputation with the ladies. Also rumored that he is settling down with a Russian immigrant. The last one was questionable, but would explain what he meant when he said that the concentration would be better used on a girlfriend.

The conversation had lodged itself into his mind and refused to go away as he worked, and he folded his hands under his chin and stared at the blonde's mug shot absently.

"Things change. People change. I thought you being the smarter one would change the most."

What was it supposed to mean?

Three weeks later, he had got the meaning.

A/N: So this is where the drabbles start to connect. The order will be Calm, Change, and Truce, followed by Bartender, Holidays, Ikebukuro, birthday, and asphyxiation :) well..so far xP so if your following any of this at all, than theres the order :)

AND WHOA! xD special thanks to **blackwingsgreeneyes** for reviewing well...every chapter! I was expecting to wait atleast a couple weeks for reviews too! So this chapter is sort of a gift to you, although its needed as explanation for the next chapter :3

On a related note, check out my other Durarara! fanfic: **500 Days of Izaya**, my parody of um, 500 days of Summer xD I REALLY want to update it, but it's not getting quite the buzz this one gets :(

So, if you like this fic, please try and give it a read! :D THE NEXT CHAPTER AWAITS!


	14. Truce

**Bordeaux and the half-smoked cigarette**

**14. Truce (Calm Part III)  
**

He hadn't brought it up until his Shinjuku apartment felt too big and too lonely, and his pride gave up caring.

"Truce."  
It was pouring heavily, and his trademark due trimmed jacket couldn't Take anymore of the rain.  
The blond Said nothing about how he knew where his apartment was, or why he had picked now of all times. Instead, he wordlessly opened the door further and led him inside.

Boxes still lay about the small but not shabby space,the only things present in the living room were a couch, coffee table, a lamp, and a small bookshelf half filled that was pushed to the far corner. An open box lay near the shelf, its contents slipping past the cardboard confines.

"It's nice." Izaya blurted, and immediately blushed from the embarrassment of having nothing better to stay. The blond arched a brow questionably "Yeah?" He put down something he was holding and turned around. "Want a drink?" He asked, back still turned and bent over a box.

He found the sight oddly distracting. His response was automatic. "Is it poisoned?"

He let out a chuckle that emphasized his slight smoker's rasp, and turned a genuine small to the informant. "I can still basic mixers, but they'll be virgins. You cool with that?"

He snorted "Lies! A bartender without alcohol is just a waiter. Besides," he showed the small plastic bag to the blond with a secretive smile. "It wouldn't go good with these goods."

The debt Collector stared in disbelief at the small plastic bag, almost going cross-eyed. "Don't tell me that's what I think it is."

Izaya merely chose to grin instead of answering.

"You just brought Marijuana to my apartment!"

Izaya decided that watching Shizuo's scared flush was more entertaining than every time the brute had ever thrown a vending machine.

"You do enough smoking as it is, its a win-win situation!"

"You just want another reason to put me in jail!"

"Oh please, where would the fun be in that? That arrest was a one time thing. If I sent you there again your chances of leaving are slim."

"I could lose my job!"

"Shut up and smoke some weed."

After a few gin and blunts, the pleasant buzz overtook his mind. "Why can't I feel like this...all the time?" he mused out loud, rolling around on the debt collectors floor like a puppy.

"I'm sure the stress of the yakuza trying to kill you at any moment would have anyone out of edge." Shizuo commented on an off handed manner, more detached from reality than the informant himself.

"Yeah, it is. I wish I had got to meet the missus. She around here?" Izaya craned his neck and dropped it back down to pull loosely at a stray thread on the couch.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" the ex-bartender mumbled from the floor beside him, brown eyes glassy with thought.

He shrugged his own shoulders mildly. "Rumour has it your dating someone."

"I thought it was establish before that you should always believe what other people tell you." he flicked expressive brown eyes to his own "Your a handful if you haven't noticed."

The comment made his heart throb embarrassingly  
From some vague area in his chest. "Shizuo?"

"Friends."

"Huh?"

"You wanted a truce right? Friends it is."

"I'm sure that's the marijuana talking."

"Well take some responsibility, this stuff is amazing."

The informant took off his jacket, rolling on to his elbows and lay in his stomach to stare at Shizuo more intently. He allowed himself to laugh a little "And how will I do that exactly?"

The blond had yanked him down by the nape of his neck to an easy kiss that stole away his breath. He hesitantly returned the favor, deciding he liked the pleasant fog that had only clouded his head further with nice, tingly feelings. Orihara and nice didn't go together in the same sentence.

The ex-bartender tasted of sweet smoke and even sweeter daiquiri. The kiss was not electrifying, or erotic in any way, but it had its intended affect.

Looking down at the blonde from his lap didn't give Izaya the power trip he thought it would, but he dove down and tried to retrieve more of those tingly, nice, feelings for himself.

"I think we exceeded the kiss limit for casual acquintances." the blonde licked at his slightly swollen lips, trying to keep his smile at bay.

Izaya merely crawled away and tucked his head into his knees. The only part visible of him was his short cropped dark hair and pale hands.

"Izaya, what are you doing?"

"Reflecting." he muttered, response muddled by the fabric of his knees.

"Huh? What was that?" Izaya turned a sharp glare to the debt collector, eyes resembling smoldering red hot coals.

"We're going to be friends in the morning."

The blond rolled his eyes and flopped back down. "Whatever you say princess."


	15. Birthday

**Bordeaux and the half-smoked cigarette**

**15. Birthday**

"Err...Happy Birthday."

Izaya looked up from his desk and sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes as he folded his glasses into his breast pocket.

"Shizu-chan, if you wanted a key, all you had to do is ask-" the ex-bartender shrugs and steps around the door he had casually knocked off its hinges. Shizuo's lack of irritation already had the informant on edge. He eyed the brown paper bag warily. "And it's not even my birthday. But it makes for a good ice breaker, neh?"

Shizuo shrugged again and Izaya was starting to worry. The calm Shizuo put more if not less stress on the informant now that he had grown more unpredictable.

"Shizu-chan?"

"I got you a present anyway." He grumbled with a slight blush and Izaya visibly relaxed, glad to have restored some sort of familiarity.

"How nice of you! And what's the occasion?" He smiled as demurely as the situation would allow and spun around in the swivel chair, minding the Dullahan's head not even inches away.

"I think I like you."

The shock of those five words didn't register, and he stared at the blond blankly.

"Izaya?"

It was then that he took notice of the scent spilling from the debt collector's breath. He spun around the black leather chair, an incredulous but relieved expression marring his face. "You've been drinking haven't you?"

The blond proceeded to pull a half empty bottle of some wine as if he hadn't spoken. "But I sort of drank most of it. To gather my wits you know?"

_'This is not happening.'_ He thought to himself as he watched the blond stumble around.

"I don't even like Bordeaux first of all, and its not my birthday. I think you should leave." The blond didn't seem satisfied cause he abruptly threw himself to the desk, the heel of his hands supporting his weight.

"I know that's bullshit. I only said I liked you cause I hardly think you're ready for me to tell you I love you."

As soon as the words left Shizuo's mouth, even his drunken counterpart regretted saying it immediately given the look on his face .

"N-not that I love you...or anything." If Izaya had been in a better mood he would have poked fun at Shizuo's 'tsunedere-ness.'

"Get out."

"Don't be like that!"

"Get the fuck out of my apartment!" The informant rose from his chair with a dark glare which automatically shook The debt collector.

"Fine! Be that way! See if I care..." He promptly snatched the bottle as he left but stopped when he felt a clenching on his wrist. Did maybe...?

"Leave the bottle." Izaya spat, no remorse lacing his tone.

_'Orihara Izaya smoked in the dark, tobacco in one hand, an amber tinted glass bottle in the other.'_

"Shizu-chan, you idiot." He murmured in the dark, and stiffled a stiff laugh. "You got the wrong one."

A/N: A reference to chapter two: cherry vodka! This story's called Bordeaux- connect the dots :P


	16. Apartment

**Bordeaux and the half-smoked cigarette**

**16. Apartment**

"I'm sor..."

The words died on his lips at the sight of the blond.

Shizuo's hair was drenched and matted to his head, and his skin was lean and tan. The droplets tracing his abdominals were making it extremely hard to form a coherent thought. Izaya opened and closed his mouth, unsure where to train his eyes.

The blond frowned in confusion, and held the moss green towel around him protectively, suddenly realizing the gravity of the situation. "Er..."

The blond turned away, his face heating up. "Come in."

He shuffled back to his room, leaving the informant on the threshold.

Izaya examined what he saw of the apartment since the last time he had been there. Many of the boxes were gone but a few remained. He absently took a step and paused at the scuffling sound it made. He turned up the heel of his shoe to see the but of the blunt he had brought to the debt collector's apartment.

His throat tightened as the memories started to resurface. He could almost feel it.

"Get ready to turn the time back. Your almost turning 30." Izaya's face twisted in horror.

"Oh the humanity!" he held up a hand to his face for theatricality. "But Shizu-chan if you must know, I'll be 21 forever!"

Shizuo rolled his eyes, frowning when the cigarette wouldn't light up in his clammy hands. There was a calm silence between the two of them, but a storm was brewing in Izaya's mind. His eyes slid to the half filled bookcase from last time that he never examined. They were mostly DVD's.

"So...this fiance I'm hearing about? Where is she?" he asked timidly, almost hoping Shizuo couldn't hear him.

Vorona. He had looked her up not too long ago, it seemed like a valid lead because there were a few pictures of them together on the board. Until some angry fangirls had flamed it and banned in favor of more proof of 'Shizaya.' The irony of the situation was almost laughable.

"What are you talking about? I don't even have a girlfriend." The debt collector laughed, smoke curling from his lips.

Izaya stiffened, and he instantly regret when the blond stopped laughing.

"Wait-is that why your afraid? You'd think I would make a move on you despite having someone else?" the blond started in an almost hopeful voice. Honestly, the thought had never crossed his mind.

Izaya averted his eyes, the face reflected in the cola looked miserable.

"Is it? Answer me." he stared at the cola, the person in the reflection was biting his lip, struggling to answer. He bowed his head lower.

"Please. Tell me." he lowered himself to his knees behind the informant, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Izaya. I don't want to make any assumptions. Tell me I'm wrong."

He didn't answer.

The blond started to do what he did best. He got irritated. "You think I'm a two-timing cheat? Huh? I'm that much of a lowlife? If I had someone else I wouldn't have even BOTHERED making amends with-" the debt collector tugged his hair in frustration. "This is stupid! Why am I telling you? You don't even care! You know how I feel and than you approach me, but as soon as feelings get involved you turn tail and run! I know your scared, so am I. But you can't let this rule your life. We aren't in high school anymore, we should fix our problems, not run away from them!" The blond panted, out of breath,and fell back to the vomit green couch.

Izaya had looked up at the Heiwajima when he had started his spiel. He knew all these things, these thoughts had circulated his mind too often, he had contemplated all of this, but it didn't mean the decision to make was any easier.

"I thought I could tell you my answer, but-" although Izaya had barely spoken the whole visit, but his voice came out hoarse. "I need more time."

Shizuo didn't look up from his spot on the couch. "I'm not getting any younger."

The informant swallowed thickly and left, regrets and missed opportunities already starting to fill his mind.


	17. Animal Zoo

**17. Animal Zoo**

"I smell horseshit." Izaya put his hands around the blindfold obstructing his vision with furrowed brows.

"Remember what you said about the countryside?"

"Oh, hell no..."

To the informant's immense surprise (and fortune) , they weren't at the countryside.

"You took me to the zoo?" Izaya wrinkled his nose as he saw an orangutan proceed to...

"Aw-EW! Is that thing breastfeeding? The infant is bigger than the mom!"

The bartender hid his smile under a pack of cigarettes, he would have never figured the brunette to be particularly squeamish. He cocked an eyebrow as the informant his behind him, glaring at the primate in contempt.

"For someone who rambles at length on anthropology, I would have thought you would find this fascinating."

Izaya hid again. "Humans. Homo sapiens. I never said anything about other classes." the brunette's face changed. "You actually listened?"

The blond scoffed. "You talk a lot. There should be some importance somewhere if you are taking that long to get to the point."

The brunette's ears reddened and he stepped away Shizuo's back and continued to walk away in the other direction. The bartender jogged to catch up.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

Izaya was quiet. "Getting ice cream. You paid for my ticket didn't you? Orihara Izaya is not one to not repay a debt when given an opportunity!"

"Did I offend you?" The mask was back on, Shizuo noticed, as the informant took to skipping across the park, a bounce in his step.

"Not at all! Can't a guy buy ice cream? Or do you think I'll lace it with razor blades?"

"I..uh..now I'm suspicious." the bartender let the brunette skip to the ice cream stand, returning with two Popsicles. The blond's eyes boggled as he caught a glance at the informant's flavor.

"Tuna? What kind of ice cream stand sells Tuna as a flavor?"

"The same kind that sells cheesecake! Which I assume you have never tried." The blond shook his head, it was too naive to assume that the informant was not aware of any and all areas of 'Bukuro.

* * *

"What the hell is that?" They were back in the blond's apartment, and Izaya held his stomach and doubled over, tears stinging his eyes as he rolled around on the carpet at the video streaming. The bartender stared at the screen in puzzlement.

"Why are they dressed like that? And I thought Japan was strange."

Izaya wiped tears from his eyes, that now looked almost completely red with the color of his irises combined with the overall bloodshot look. "Rap videos in North America specialize objectifying women in the media. This is just a step above the rest. Too bad he's Australian!"

Shizuo stared. "They're dressed like animals."

"Don't you hear the man, Shizuo? Stand up!"

Shizuo shook his hand and went to the kitchen. "I will never understand your twisted sense of humor."

**Yes, Animal Zoo by xD WATCH IT! I dare you! This is a separate timeline, so no confrontation yet!**


	18. Confrontation

**18. Confrontation**

A crack of thunder reverberated through the corridor, its occupant startled awake and floundered in their swivel chair, not finding and purchase on the slippery mahogany desk and fell to the floor with an audible bang. The young man recovers slowly and returns to his chair with a less than dignified glare at the desk, as if to blame for his plight.

"Aoba, cut it out. Your appointment, remember?" The informant says gruffly, ruby eyes weary with curiousity and an underlying respect that he felt for the teen standing in front of him.

Aoba was the second child to his divorced parents, whose failed marriage was the start of his downward spiral. The teen was regularly abused by his older brother, whom he had taken revenge on soon enough. The teen, hardened by the reality of life in the city had eventually worked his way up the ladder to becoming the lead of one of the most feared color gangs, the Blue Squa-

"Aoba. Is this a narrative or do you want to waste my time? Keep in mind I make no refunds."

Touchy, must be because his boyfriend questioned his fidelity.

The informant's brow twitched dangerously, much like a certain blond debt collector.

"Spit it out Kuronama." His tone left no room for argument.

The teen sighed sadly and dropped down to the client chair, putting at the unfairness of having his fun cut short. "Orihara-san drives a hard bargain. Actually, I have some information to give you," the brunette smiles predatorily, much akin to the sharks that he loves so dear.

The informant shook his head at the teen's antics. "Seriously, stop narrating in third person. Only psycopaths do that."

Pot calling the kettle black, hmph.

The informant's red eyes sharpened.

"Very well. If you must know, every body's favorite ex-bartender is participating in a brawl."

"Oh? And why would that be valuable information?"

The teen's grin started to widen, his small chuckles evolving into peals of mocking laughter that sent shivers down the informant's spine. Aoba's blue eyes found his, his irises dancing with mirth. "Because it's Blue Squares."

The informant stared at the teen in puzzlement, and then it sank in as the brunette began to cackle louder. His eyes widened.

He pushed away from his desk, tripping over his own feet in his haste to leave the apartment, not giving the youth a second glance.

Never mind the fact that a)the information could have been false b)the informant had left the teen in his home unguarded c) and there were a lot of expensive stuff...oh, and it was going to rain.

Aoba turned to the window, the rumbling sky burst with color as lightening danced through the clouds, followed by a boom of thunder. The brunette smiled, softer this time.

"Don't mess up. I'm rooting for you."

The Blue Squares leader had a heart. He just had a twisted way of showing it.


	19. Confrontation part two

**19. Confrontation (part two)**

"SHIZU-CHAN!"

The informant pushed past passersby donning umbrellas, ignoring the heavy downpour of rain penetrating the thin sweater he wore and the enraged shouts to 'watch where he was going.'

Izaya cursed. Just his luck. He should have asked the teen where the whereabouts were, and stopped running as a feeling of dread sink deep in to the pit of his stomach. What if they had already done it? What if they got him? What was he supposed to do?

His eyes flashed in recognition.

The warehouse!

He fought the rain, purpose propelling him forward. He was done running. It was time for him to make a decision.

He froze dead in his tracks as the scene unfolded before him.

The other members were long gone, but Shizuo remained.

The blond lay face down on the bare floor, all the damage he could see was a ripped sleeve and a thin trail of blood.

He dropped down to his knees. "What happened?"

"Your bastards drugged me." a quiet voice slurred with a dark hiss.

It took the informant a moment to realize it was the blonde's voice that had spoken, and what it was that he said.

"My..." the informant's face twisted in grief. "You...you...SHIZUO!"

The debt collector's brows furrowed under the broken cobalt lenses. "What?" he spat gruffly, trying to keep the fatigue out of his voice.

"You stupid..." tears began to gather in the informant's eyes and the blond suddenly felt more awake than ever before.

"Wait! Are you cry-"

The blond was cut off by the fist reigning down on his chest.

"Why do I even-you simple minded degenerated protozoan neanderthal-"

Even to Shizuo's own ears, the informant wasn't starting to make any sense. The name calling was one thing.

"Izaya."

The informant looked up, eyes red and shiny. It nearly broke his heart to watch.

"I'm sorry." he said calmly, the informant sniffed in response and got off him, hoisting the blond up with him with a heavy grunt.

"Wow." he grit his teeth. "I thought all you drank was milk! How can one man be so heavy." The blond shrugged sluggishly, trying to distribute his weight onto his legs, his limbs feeling like rubber.

"Can you reach in my pocket?"

The blond nodded, prodding the fabric opening, finding nothing there.

"Oh, my back pocket. I think my pass should be there."

Shizuo blindly let his fingers grab for the card-

"Shizuo!" The blond was unprepared as Izaya nearly dropped the both of them, biting his lip, a scrunched up expression on his face.

It was then, with sudden recognition that Shizuo realized he was groping Izaya.

And Izaya liked it.

Shizuo's body flushed at the thought. "So, if you didn't orchestrate the brawl, how did you find me?"

Izaya smiled wryly, regaining his composure just as quick. "An informant never reveals his sources!"

Shizuo fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"I would expect nothing less."

Shizuo frowned at the soggy ticket. "Great. How am I supposed to get home?"

Izaya scoffed. "I'm sort of holding on to you. You can crash at my place."

The blond frowned in concentration, and started to redden in embarrassment.

Izaya perked up at the blonde's reaction and started to blush at the context of the statement.

"Sleep! I meant sleep!"

If possible, Shizuo darkened even further.

Izaya sighed in frustration and let conversation drop. Shizuo' s ragged breath puffed against his neck. It felt more comforting than arousing, it no longer felt cold as the rain fell around them, blanketing the city in its dew.


	20. Confrontation part three

**20. Confrontation (part three)**

Izaya tossed the blond's vest against the room. It made a heavy wet sound as it hit the wall.

Shizuo staggered behind him into the apartment, having regained some of his strength on the long trek home. He caught himself of the edge of a sofa and fixed his deep brown eyes into his, intense and comforting all at the same time.

"What is it you're really scared of?"

Izaya choked, his shoulders wracking with shivers as the chill started to seep in.

"What?"

The blond plopped down on his couch, ignoring the murderous look the informant gave him for heaving his soaked body on a piece of furniture that probably cost more than his apartment.

"If you really didn't feel anything for me you would have ignored me, or just kept doing what you've been doing before. I can't fathom how it's okay for us to kiss but as soon as I say that I like you it goes too far."

Izaya hated the way that the blond was right. He was never wrong in all areas but this one. He picked up something random and let his eyes inspect it when in reality his mind was racing in a way to shift the power balance.

"Emotions are difficult to deal with, as you know Shizu-chan."

To a regular observer, they would have simply seen an empathetic nod but Izaya perceived the weariness in that expression.

"People always are looking for ways to be happy, and get caught in mishaps of their own creation. If one were to be happy all the time, it would be purgatory. But at the same time, if life were boring it would be considered monotonous as well. Life is a pattern of contradictions that eventually balance and make us what we are. But people underestimate the power of emotions. Emotions can be a strength and weakness in us all, but it takes a lot of self-reflection to realize how we harness it. Point in case: your anger. You see it as a rabid manifestation of yourself, and you are ashamed of yourself for having no control over it. You may even hate yourself over it, but there is one thing you don't see that's great about the power you have. It's what makes us humans different than animals and the ones before us. If emotions did not rule our lives we would have no determination to live. It's our responsibility to search for that happiness by changing the parts about ourselves that we dislike, rather than write ourselves off as failures and give up. Humans have gone so far in history for their passion, prejudice, hate, envy, glory, power, loss, and curiosity of the world. And we are always going to want more, no matter what we have. We're greedy creatures, but you have to accept all aspects of yourself in order to live a life without complication, rather than listen to the dark thoughts in the crevices of your mind that fight you every step of the way."

Izaya had spoke so long he had actually needed to catch his breath. He panted, the snow globe he had precariously picked up before almost slipping through his fingers before hands seeked his wrist. He was scared of seeing the blonde's expression, but he looked anyways.

Shizuo's eyes were warm and understanding. If Izaya could use such cliches he felt like he was melting.

"I think I understand." He said softly, tugging at the informant's arm gently to sit down on the couch.

He closed his eyes. He was going to ruin his couch but it's not like it was the end of the world.

They didn't move, content with the warmth between their two bodies. The blond moved to put an arm around him and he tucked his legs behind him, leaning into the embrace.

His eyes snapped open in realization.

"You. Dry off. Than we're talking."

Shizuo had started to nod off, and gave him a sleepy confused look but proceeded to lean away from Izaya.

"What'll I wear?" He slurred, scratching the back of his neck.

"Hallway closet."

The blond staggered away and Izaya sighed in relief, stripping off his clothes in record time.

What? He slept on the couch often, he had a change of clothes there.

He ran his hands through his hair quickly and hopped to the kitchen. These kinds of conversations usually happened with hot tea. The steaming cup in his hands calmed his nerves as he waited for Shizuo, hands shaking and mind blank.

What was he doing? He should just be up front. Games weren't so fun when you couldn't win, and Izaya was a sore loser. But in this case the payoff was the same. Shizuo versus the lonely life he was living before?

Izaya, who's mind rarely stopped, just went by faster when he saw the blond stand in front of him, a white shirt and black track pants that stopped right below his kness.

"Got any smokes?"

That killed the mood.

Izaya sighed and pulled open a drawer from the coffee table and tossed the pack over to the debt collector.

Shizuo frowned. "Expensive brand. You smoke?"

Izaya smirked, feeling some of his bravado return. "Sometimes. It's Shiki's actually."

Shizuo narrowed his eyes briefly.

"Shiki, huh."

The ex-bartender said nothing more and sat down beside him, lighting a cigar that was too close for comfort. Izaya put up with it without complaint, he almost wished the blond had asked who he was so at least he had something to say. He watched the blond puff away at a fat cigar, bathed in moonlight. Izaya was distracted by how Hollywood perfect it looked.

"So, you wanted to talk?"

Shizuo's eyes glowed almost amber in the night, like a cat's, except it was nothing like it at all. The informant could have written poetry about it, and catalouged the image to his mind, lest the night go downhill due to his own stupidity.

Izaya smiled, he was ready.

"There are three things that every relationship needs to stay healthy! And those are: sex,sex, and sex! Now can you guess what I need?"

"Let me guess,sex?"

"No."

Izaya's reply was sharp and clipped as he fixed the ex-bartender with almost a penetrating look.

"It's love."

His eyes lowered, and he glanced at Shizuo under his lashes, wary of the debt collector's reaction.

"...You're not trolling me, right?"

The informant burst into raucous laughter and Shizuo tried to not look embarrassed, but his lobster blush gave him away. The response gave him mixed views, not sure whether to take Izaya's reaction as ridiculous at the insinuation or if he was laughing in agreement. His heart dropped into his stomach as he pondered, strongly believing he was doing the latter. He smiled sadly, and the blond felt guilt ridden as he saw the expression.

"We've gotten along so well because of mutual interest for another. But that's what it is. Ten years ago, and now. The only difference now that it isn't about pissing you off-don't give me that look! Ok maybe it still is...but the point is that I'm playing a more dangerous game."

Izaya looked up at the moon, a pensive expression illuminating his face. The image struck Shizuo in a way that left him speechless, but he couldn't think of anything to say. This has been the first time in the 12 years he knew the informant that Izaya had ever looked so thoughtful. It vaguely reminded him of the night he had first kissed the smartass. Luckily for him though, Izaya wasn't done talking.

"I'm taking a gamble." He smiled genuinely, and the range of expressions on the informant's face was starting to scare him.

"I want it. I really do. But I'm scared that I'll lose interest and move on to the next one, until the novelty wears off." Izaya's were bloodshot with withheld tears, and if the debt collector hadn't known any better, he wouldn't have thought he was talking to Orihara Izaya.

"Well the answer is simple," the blond grunted, putting out his dying cigar against the coffee table and gathered the man into his arms.

"I'll just have to keep making things interesting, right?" To emphasize this point he pushed the flea onto his back and straddled him, grabbing the back of his collar roughly. Thank god the tea had been set on the table during his rant.

"You think too much." The informant looked like he was going to combust if the shit eating grin was anything to go by. He thunked his head to the couch looking up at the blond, bemused.

"Tch. Of course your protozoan brain couldn't think of anything better."

"Shut up." Shizuo mumbled, content on following through.

**A/N: Not quite the end of this arc, but if I have any other plans for this universe, I will give the reader a heads up :)**


	21. Envy

**21. Envy**

"Izaya, I am not quite sure I heard you the first time. Could you repeat yourself?" Shinra struggled to fight the smirk creeping into his expression, and if the informant kept glaring at him with that black swollen eye, he was going to lose all self-control.

Oh well, it was an uphill battle to start with.

Izaya's good eye seemed to spasm in addition with the dark look he was channeling the doctor. The informant wasn't a religious person, but he tried his hand at a curse. Celty had lovingly addressed the pet name to him and he was sure he was going to put it to good use, if the doctor did not stop laughing. A flush of indignation tinted his cheeks. Paired with the black eye he was sure the Advent would love him.

"So the brute got a lucky punch. So did Simon! All chances of fate may I add." Izaya huffed to himself, claret eyes taking note of the skyline through the window. Shinra smiled to himself as he gestured to Celty for an ice pack. Inside, he was worried for the informant. Izaya rarely let his guard down, a feat impossible especially around the debt collector. Which brought another question to mind.

"Lover's quarrel?"

"Yeah."

The bag of frozen peas slipped through his fingers at the sound of Izaya's listless voice. Celty tapped at her keys wildly, probably panicking at the alarmed expression he wore.

"Really? You and-"

Izaya smirked victoriously. "Of course not! You should know better Kishitani. I must not be the only one who finds that conclusion absurd."

If Shinra had not known the informant, this would have fooled him. But Shinra was going to let him have his triumph. "Of course. Silly me! Celty dear, can you hand me back that bag?"

The scent of nicotine only served to make him feel more antsy than usual as he paced around the informant's apartment, cigarette buts shriveled and abundant at his feet. Izaya was going to kill him for the mess but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. The bouquet of flowers had fallen to join the butts on the floor at some point and the debt collector no longer had patience for such intricacies. Tom had insisted he bring them on his 'date.'

Yes, you head right. Shizuo was going in a date. With Izaya no less.

He was losing his head a bit, palms sweating as familiar laughter started to come in through the elevator. He froze, seeing a man that was clearly not Izaya shuffle by him and unlock the door like it was his own home, the informant following suit. What just happened?

Shizuo stood at the threshold mutely, watching the white suited man cooly regard Izaya, not even blinking as the informant flicked to light his cigar in record time. There was only one man his mind conjured up to the scene playing out before him.

Shiki.

He doesn't know how long he stood there, watching them talk about topics that were way beyond his intelligence level to grasp, but all too soon Shizuo could feel the telltale signs of his rage consume him. He visibly shook as the both continued to ignore him like he did not exist, and the way Izaya was looking at the man. And that it went without saying that the informant clearly forgot they were supposed to be on a date. Shizuo felt no shame as he clenched the door knob, the gold twisting in his grip.

"IIIIZZZAAAYYYYAAA!"

And so began another day in Ikebukuro.

Three deafening gunshots rang out, their bullets lodged into the wall on his right. Shizuo evaded the bullets, stunned into silence by the offhand way Shiki had handled a double barrel handgun, still faced away from the debt collector. Shiki puffed a ring of smoke and Shizuo took notice that Izaya didn't look quite surprised either.

"Heiwajima. Can you refrain from raising your voice this early in the day?" Shiki said monotonously, every aspect of him calm and composed. He instantly felt a flare of jealousy and put it out before it could grow. Shizuo could pick his battles. It was no secret that people in the presence of Izaya brought out the worst in him, and the envy he felt watching Shiki smoke without giving a care in the world. Faster than his eyes could follow the gun had materialized back into Shiki's jacket and the man leaned back, finally turning his gaze to the blond.

"Can I help you?"

Shizuo straightened, and even bowed for good measure. He was no good at ass kissing but he could try. "May I have a word with Izaya, sir?"

Shiki cocked a brow at this but left regardless.

Shizuo listened for the Yakuza member's steps to recede and retreat into the elevator before he chucked what was left of the doorknob at Izaya. Who hadn't thought to dodge.

It was anti climatic and happened so fast that the informant could hardly remember how it happened- but if anyone asked it was a back alley deal gone wrong.


	22. Envy part two

**21. Envy (part two)**

The bundle blinked up at him.

He blinked back.

At least it's eyes weren't red or anything like that. There were only so many cliches he could handle before he had to start questioning whether his whole life was some Asian drama aired on a network that nobody watches. It would certainly explain a few things. He read the note and put it back in the basket, backing away from the gurgling creature like it was a predator stalking its prey.

"I leave for one day and you get a girl knocked up?"

Izaya froze at the sight of the blond at the door, cracking his knuckles with a disturbingly wide grin on his face that the informant knew to be unstable.

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't sleep around." he flushed in embarrassment, eyes trained on anywhere but Shizuo and the...thing. The blond picked up the gurgling infant, already squealing with joy once in the debt collector's arms. His eyes were blue from the small slits he saw, and was a healthy pink all around. It waved its chubby arms in the air, making high pitched sounds that may have sounded adorable to some kind soul with maternal instincts, but Izaya was not of that kind. Izaya jumped to his feet.

"Back evil spawn, back!" Shizuo frowned at him, unamused.

"Don't talk to him like that. He hasn't done anything to deserve being treated like that."

The blond smiled warmly at the baby, now at eye level with the brunette.

"Ain't that right?" Izaya rolled his eyes. Figures that the debt collector was the fatherly type. He sat down on the couch, a weird mix of emotions surging through his chest as he watched the infant crawl all over the blond with a serene smile on his face. His eyes landed on the letter.

"Your responsibility now."

-Anonymous

He suppressed the urge to laugh at the note, succinct as it was.

"Anonymous? No kidding." A thought came to him.

"Well, at least not for long."

The blond channeled a murderous glare at the informant.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on this kid." He scoffed in disbelief.

"Um. Hello? That's illegal and wrong on so many levels. I was thinking a DNA test was in order, because as I clearly recall-I have no relation whatsoever to that thing." The blond stared at him. "You're talking about him like he's a disease."

He clicked his tongue, that strange feeling of cognitive dissonance just waiting in the wings. He couldn't pin it down.

"Well, as the note says, its 'my responsibility now,' and as a good citizen that means notifying the authorities and giving that...being proper care. For all I know this could be a set up." An elaborate one at that.

Shizuo huffed sadly and Izaya looked up at him in alarm.

"No. We are not keeping an infant that may or may not have been kidnapped from its own home. It's my apartment!" Shizuo pouted.

"And if its not?"

The informant shrugged. In reality, the thought terrified him greatly. "I`ll figure something out." He let the blond play with the infant, the scene sickening for some odd reason.


	23. Envy part three

**22. Envy (part three)**

"The kid have a name yet?"

Izaya spun around, grin wide. "Why yes! I was thinking John Snow!"

The reference went right over his head. "John Snow? What kind of name is that? This kid's clearly Japanese!"

The blond went as far as pealing the kid's eyelids back, the shape of his eyes clearly almond shaped. The action was so ridiculous Izaya burst into laughter, barely able to keep himself standing.

"It was a joke! A joke." he smiled at the blond, just as the sound of his phone pierced the easy silence between the three of them.

"Why did you call me? I no longer work for you, or do you need a formal written resignation letter?" The woman's terse voice only amused Izaya greatly.

"Oh, nothing of the sort-although I do require your services."

Namie went quiet and hung up. In Izaya's mind it was silent admission.

Izaya clapped, capturing 'John Snow' and Shizuo's attention. "Ok, you need to leave! Baby's first check up!"

Shizuo frowned. "Shinra's coming? He wouldn't make a very good-"

"No need, I called Yagiri! She knows her stuff."

He couldn't really describe the look Shizuo gave him if he tried. It seems 'dark' and 'smouldering' were too light words to name the blond's expression. "I'll stay." he said evenly, face ashen.

Izaya shrugged, trying not to pay mind to the hairs prickling at the back of his neck. The informant had been on the receiving end of the blond's many looks, but never had he seen such pure, unadulterated...

He glanced at said blond but all traces of the expression were gone, replaced with a gentle look of adoration for John Snow.

They said nothing as Namie strode in, condescending as ever.

"I'll need a urine sample, stool sample, blood test, allerg-"

"Whoa! I just need to know who this thing belongs to."

Namie frowned and picked up the squirming child, looking up at it as if she was trying to find out what was so special about it. Izaya could relate.

The informant was content to let Namie do as she pleased, forgetful of the blond at his heels.

He was steeping tea when he felt the debt collector's presence behind him, too close for comfort. "Shizu-chan?"

The blond twisted his face around and caught his lips, pulling the informant into him. Izaya's eyes widened but he gave in and took hold of the blond's shoulders tipping his head back to deepen the kiss. He felt fingers slip under the hem of his shirt and rub the skin there. He nearly jumped and shivered, pulling away only to lock lips with Shizuo again.

He didn't say it out loud, but he missed it. Kissing Shizuo. The blond had felt distant, and the kid only made things worse. The authorities didn't do anything about the thing taking space in his living room, and he was forced to care for it until Child Serves got back to him. If they looked back on the history he had with them, they would probably hurry up.

He pulled away, lips swollen and tender and lay his forehead against the blond's. "That was...nice."

He felt a small smile stretch on the ex-bartender's face. "Just nice?"

"I apologize-incredible!"

He didn't move as Shizuo's arms encircled him, his eyes slipping shut in content.

"I'm jealous."

Izaya cracked an eye open, briefly confused before turning around in the blond's arms, but Shizuo kept talking.

"You have admirable people around you all the time that like you for who you are, and you ignore me when they're around. I can't help feeling that way."

Had this been any other person, he might have laughed. But as it were, his pulse quickened at the admission and he had to avert his gaze, suddenly shy beyond all words. Shizuo didn't know how much of a breath of fresh hair his blunt honesty was, but there was another side to this. It was Shizuo's hamartia, his crippling kindness that allowed him to manipulate the debt collector so well. It felt like an empty victory. Instead of feeling overpowered and self-assured, he realized his own insecurity and he couldn't stop thinking about the list of faults-He didn't complete that train of thought. He pushed away from the blond.

"You don't have any competition." he paused, cheeks flooding with heat. "Anywhere."

The blond stilled, gaping and staring at him mutely. Shizuo's own skin started to tint red and he pulled the informant into his arms once more and kissed the corner of his mouth, ecastic beyond words-

The perfect moment was ruined by the piercing cry of John Snow.

The blond tore away from him faster than the speed of light. Izaya sighed and let his arms dangle at his sides. So much for that.

"What did you do?" he railed at Namie from what Izaya could hear. "ANSWER ME!"

He hadn't known the kid one week and already he was in parent mode.

Izaya crossed the threshold and examined the sight. Nothing out of the ordinary except a snotty,sobbing,squirming mess.

"I didn't do anything. The infant cannot handle not seeing any familiar parental figures in the same room. It's like abandonment."

Shizuo batted the infant's hands away too soothe him. John Snow wouldn't let him. "Come on." Shizuo's fake cheerful voice was as convincing as Simon's.

"Dada!"

How old was that thing? It could speak?

Shizuo looked conflicted.

"Dada! Dada!"

"Izaya...I think he's referring to you." Had he been drinking any tea, he would have done a spittake.

"...Say what?"

To confirm this, the woman dumped the baby in his arms, John Snow immediately calmed down, sniffling against his chest. Shizuo smiled fondly at the sight.

"Er...this thing didn't know me until a week before, how can I identify as its father?"

Namie already had an answer to that. "Perhaps it was trained to think like that. You say this child was dropped off at your home?"

He nodded to himself dazedly, John Snow quietly dozing off. He wiped the snot and tears from the infant's face, his curiousity redoubled more than ever before.

A/N: Game of thrones reference, everybody! For anybody that doesnt know, John Snow was considered to be the bastard child in the Starks family. Where they come from, Snow is considered to be equivalent to "bastard child" and so on, but I don't want to spoil it for you! Go read/watch it yourself! (ahem, books are better)


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